What could existentialism -­- an ostensibly eclipsed intellectual movement from a bygone era -­- possibly offer education in today's world of ecological emergency? We suggest looking to the pedagogical possibilities of an eco-existentialism -- most notably the works of Arendt, Camus, Sartre and Buber. The existentialists provide the philosophical…

This paper takes the academically unorthodox form of personal correspondence. This method, of letters between two educators writing to one another across the distance of two continents and different experiences, seeks to create an inclusive, confessional tone, one that invites the reader to get closer to the lived experience of those struggling…

In this paper, Cassandra's role in the ancient Greek myth of the fall of Troy, as one given the gift of prophesy but cursed to be disbelieved, is explored with a view to understanding the apparently powerless position of climate justice and environmental activism to change public policy. To make this case, we re-interpret the myth of Cassandra to…

The first climate change conference was held in 1979 in Geneva and sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization. Since then there have been many other initiatives and accords along the way. Each report appears to present an evermore grim picture than the previous one. Cumulatively, we have had more than enough science to know what to do, and…

This essay is written in two sections. The first, following a short introduction, is made up of three scenarios drawn from the life and work of Martin Buber. As well as demonstrating his obvious interest in human relationships with the other-than-human, each scenario describes an encounter between either Buber himself or a stand-in character and a…

This paper, based upon our experiences starting a school, is part dialogue and part theory. The three authors have all played important roles in the design, creation, and ongoing support of an innovative public elementary school. The first part of the paper describes the impetus behind the creation of this "buildingless," environmentally…

In this response to Fettes's "Imagination and Experience," the authors further consider the varieties of educational experience that inspire ecological flourishing and a living democracy. The essential interconnectedness of encounter-driven and language-driven ways of knowing are explored with particular reference to the authors'…

This paper uses an innovative building-less Canadian public elementary school and its accompanying large-scale research project to consider the characteristics that might be required of a teacher interested in working in an emergent, environmental, place- and community-based experiential public school setting. The six characteristics considered…

This article focuses primarily on our research group's year of preparation before the opening of a new K-7 publicly funded ecological "school" for students aged 5-12. The article begins with a discussion of the reasons for seeking ways to change the values of a culture which fails to confront the consequences of its destructive…

This paper begins by suggesting that issues of social and ecological justice are not mutually exclusive. They are tied together through the logic of domination which is, in turn, sustained by oppositional value dualisms such man/woman, human/nature, and white/non-white. As such, we suggest that environmental education must deal with the shared…

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to describe a large research project, which has integrated curricula and is currently emerging as a publicly funded K-7 place-based, imaginative, and ecological learning centre in Maple Ridge, British Columbia; second, to spend some time exploring more deeply the theoretical implications of the project…

In this narrative essay, I explore some fundamental assumptions in my understanding of environmental education. Questions are raised concerning the nature of perception, experience, and the interplay between the world and ourselves. The narrative is based on a recent trip down the Coppermine River in the Barrenlands of Canada's Arctic. The…